My cousin became paralyzed from the neck down after a car accident at age 23. She nodded out at the wheel because she was under the influence of heroin and Xanax. She had no will to live after that. No close family, as her mother moved away, her father left when she was a toddler, and her brother killed himself two years earlier. With physical therapy she was able to throw her arm up to her face and she then attempted to chew her fingers off with the hopes of bleeding to death.

She put herself in hospice a year after that because she was ready to die. And she did within weeks. When I see videos like this I can’t help but cry and celebrate the tenacity and willpower these people have. I’ve learned that it’s much easier to roll over and die when you feel worthless but with the right support, love, care, and amazing medical staff, humans are capable of so much. Congrats to your uncle! And a thousand kudos to the doctors and physical therapists who helped him on this journey!